Athletes Unlimited
To say that I have been rippin’ and runnin’ over the last few months is an understatement! But I’m happy to finally share a bit of my experience with Athletes Unlimited!
Back in Jan & Feb I was able to participate and be a part of the very first group of professional women’s basketball players to grace the stage for Athletes Unlimited. This is a new league with an unbelievable crew behind it that developed a concept made and ran by players, female players to be more specific.
As a professional athlete going on 14 years now (sheesh, did I just say that out loud??) I was chosen to be 1 of 44 to set this thing off. There were those of us who played in the WNBA, Euroleague/Eurocup (me), other international and overseas play, and then a couple of us who were 1-2 years removed from college play. A good mix of competition was in the building. And although a big piece to this league was about us players coaching ourselves, we also had some great leadership on the sidelines in coaches such as Pokey Chatman & Plenette Pierson, just to name a couple. The concept behind it all was amazing, and let me tell you why…
Too many times within a professional athlete’s career you are treated like a possession without a voice, ESPECIALLY on the women’s side of things, and when it comes to Athletes Unlimited that’s nowhere near the case. And although this was the first season for women’s basketball, they have been doing this for other sports as well. Lacrosse, Volleyball, and Softball all have their own seasons and play with a unique leaderboard just like we did.
There’s such a major focus on the female athlete’s thoughts and voices, which is SO HARD to come by. We discussed the causes we were passionate about and how we can bridge those gaps to use our platforms, player/fan engagement, social media and content, the major disparities we face on a regular basis and things to change that, the different ways we would like to see the game grow, and MUCH MORE!
I could go on and on about the ins and outs of the things off the court that I really appreciated from AU, but now let’s get into some of the on court stuff and competition!
The rules seemed slightly complicated at first, but once you understood everything, it was on and poppin’! Our first week was a taste of how it would all play out, it was a nice little run through. Well sort of…
From the zoom draft, to the practices, and to the scrimmages, we basically had a “mock” experience of everything before officially getting started.
Now, in an attempt to be fully transparent, let me tell you… my first week was NOT the best experience. But it’s all part of the process and it most certainly got better throughout. I was picked last and I wasn’t sure how I felt about it at first. I knew a hand full of people personally, and none of them were captains. But, I quickly switched gears and was prepared to work my way up. Been there, done that, what else is new right? Also, with that being said, I was quickly introduced to how things could play out in the blink of an eye! And I was ok with it. Just staying ready to battle, knock down some shots, and hop in wherever I could was the mindset I had coming into this from the start.
Being a big fan of shows like The Challenge, Survivor, and The Amazing Race, I really just went about it as if it was a major game inside of another one and had a blast. It was a time to work on your skillset a bit, make sure you were in shape, and to get to know people on and off the court. And of course, it all mattered!
Each week, each game, each team felt different. Once everyone had the game figured out you could tell that there would be a bit of a theme going on between the way teams would be picked or managed. And even though that was the case, there was always a minor monkey wrench of sorts thrown in the mix. Whether that be an injury, a positive Covid test, 1-2 changes in players on the roster that made a big enough difference, everything mattered and it was something to pay attention to. It was important to stay ready and to stay on your toes because anything could happen.
My first 3 weeks, every team I was on was hit with someone testing positive for Covid. We would be low on numbers but that just provided more opportunities to hit the floor, and of course I embraced that, but it was disappointing not being able to play alongside certain people at certain times. That first week, I was on Team Mitchell (Kelsey Mitchell) in gold, and we had Courtney Williams on our team, but she was hit with a positive Covid test. Just an unfortunate situation all around. I really feel like if we had her that first week a whole lot of things may have been shifted throughout the course of the season but that’s the way the ball bounces sometimes. And even though I didn’t get to play with her that first week, we got our opportunity together during Week 4.
And just as a side note, after that week of not being able to play, Court came out like gangbusters taking names in Week 2.
We would get tested pretty much every day, and I think I had a bit of anxiety beforehand every single time. The last thing anybody wanted to hear was that they would be unable to play that week due to testing positive. You just had to do your best to take care of yourself and stay clear of crowds and other people. Much easier said than done.
We had 3 games a week and would practice 2-3 times that week depending on what your team captain felt was best. I would go on to call this “AAU for adults” because it certainly gave us all those vibes. I mean think about it… we come together in a different city, play a bunch of games over a short period of time, stay at a hotel, see friends you’ve played with or against before, and match up against some competition you’re used to hearing about and ready to go toe to toe with. And then of course after you’ve sat in an ice bath for a bit and seen the trainers to recover, you go get yourself together so that you all can go kick it a little bit afterwards.
Every game was full of excitement for many different reasons. Each player was playing for something bigger than themselves. Obviously, there was monetary value associated with all of this but there was also the spirit of competition that everyone brought to the table.
For example, you had those that came in with a slight chip on their shoulder (whether YOU personally knew it or not, it was there), and they wanted to use this as their prime opportunity to show some of the other teams and coaches that they play(ed) for, that they are capable of doing more on the court if given the right opportunity.
You also had people who wanted to prove that they could and already do run with the best of the best, this was just another stage to broadcast that on a little more. Me…this was one of mine.
Whatever the reason was, it brought out a different fire in everybody. As a competitor, you just love to see it. And when your game was over you had the opportunity to cheer on your opponents, who could easily be your next teammate or captain in a matter of days.
3 Major Thoughts I Walked Away With
· Be ready for anything!
* I had to play “out of position” quite a bit. But that was what allowed me the opportunity to stay on the floor. Honestly, you just had to get out there and hoop! There were plenty of times where I was placed at the small forward spot. I would have quite the laugh considering the other forwards on the floor were people like Isabelle Harrison. And on the other side of things, I was just open to vibing with others and enjoying peoples’ company. Getting to hear their stories and share some of our experiences was nice. And almost any time someone wanted to grab a bite or go for a ride, I was down, when normally I would be a bit reserved and keep to myself.
· Embrace the journey!
*So proud of myself for going into this experience with an open mind. I understand how things can be a bit unpredictable when it’s the beginning of something new, so I kept that in mind. This being the first season for AU and women’s basketball, there were PLENTY of firsts and it was important to roll with the punches and be flexible. Understanding that from the jump helped me flourish and have an even better time.
· Leave a lasting impression!
*Whether it was big or small, I was able to take something away from this experience from each individual. It could have easily been the smallest interaction, but it meant something to me and I value that. And I’m not just talking about each of the 45 (Tyce Knox got hurt right before the first game) players that came through and played, this goes for each person on staff, our women’s basketball social media crew that came out, the fans, even the hotel staff. I can only hope that I left an impression on most as they did on me.
Overall, I had a GREAT time. The timing for this was perfectly aligned with everything else I had going on. I had made the decision to stay in the states for the first part of what would normally be my overseas season (Aug – Dec) because I had just published my first book “How Bad Do You Want It?!” And I was doing some speaking engagements and promotions for that. I had another deal on the table to go abroad right around Christmas, but was more interested in AU from the jump. Once the opportunity presented itself, the decision was already made. Just made sure to be ready and then we were off to Sin City to take part in making a little history.